Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, June 27, 1994 TAG: 9406230023
SECTION: SALEM FAIR PAGE: 4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By SARAH COX
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Alligators, pigs, bears, and a petting zoo are all featured attractions at this year's Salem Fair, and all offer something unique and exciting for children and their families.
Take the pigs, for example. They don't just grunt, they race. And their just reward is an Oreo cookie.
For the past six years, Robinson's Racing Pigs have traveled the length of the United States and Canada to appear at fairs, festivals and special events, in addition to "ABC TV's Wide World of Sports," and NBC's "Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson." They are scheduled to appear at the Salem Fair Tuesday through Friday, from 6 - 9 p.m., on the hour; and Saturday through Monday, starting at 12:30 p.m.; and from then on, every two hours, until their last show at 10 p.m.
These porcine speeders teach themselves to race at their home in Picnic, Fla., southeast of Tampa. They compete on a 150-foot oval track for an Oreo. The audience gets involved in each race, with cheerleaders selected to "root" the participants onto victory. In "victory lane" it's just like real life: The winner gets the whole cookie, and the losers get the crumbs (and of course a regular ration of high energy protein pig chow everyday).
Two races comprise each show, and there are up to six racing events daily. Each winning cheerleader gets a ribbon proudly proclaiming, "I picked the winner at the pig race."
But let's not stop with pigs. There's alligators, too.
Carey Harveycutter, director of the Salem Civic Center, said the alligators are similar to the racing pigs because people will go, time and time again, to see them. The Kachunga and the Alligator Show is guaranteed to keep the Salem Fair audience on the edge of its seat as a real American Bushman bare-handedly catches a 9-foot, 300-pound alligator. He will then carry the gator out of the water and give an educational performance on this living dinosaur. The alligators are scheduled to perform Tuesday through Friday, 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.; and Saturday through Monday, 3:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
The Great Little Bear Show is the second round for Jeannette Rix, who retired her Great Bear Show recently. This is one of the very few uncaged bear acts in North America, and appeals to both children and adults. The educational aspect is promoted as much as the entertainment, as Rix passes on her knowledge of these native American carnivores to the audience.
The show consists of three 5-foot tall young American Black Bears, uncaged, in a routine consisting of hind-leg walking, dancing, giant slide, balancing on a rolling globe, and roll overs. Harveycutter said Rix treats her animals very well. "We are very concerned with the humane treatment of animals at the fair," he said. The bears and Rix will be performing Tuesday through Friday, 5 p.m., 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.; and Saturday through Monday, 3:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 9 p.m..
Bob Jones Petting Zoo is one of the more beloved features of the Salem Fair. Everyone loves these animals, and everyone - children and adults - can spend as much time as they want with the animals that are raised, nurtured and loved for the expressed purpose of the zoo.
The zoo also is educational, providing children with the exposure to animals they may never have been in contact with before. But the event is also clean, with expertly trained attendants to care for the animals. The petting zoo is open Tuesday through Friday, 4 - 11 p.m.; and Saturday through Monday, noon - 11 p.m.
by CNB